The Ci Newsletter #6: Lateral flow tests, nappies, and poppies and painkillers
Welcome to another edition of the Compound Interest newsletter! My family of three has become a family of four since the last issue, so there's some relevant baby-related chemistry to kick things off. There's also the latest #ChemVsCOVID graphic looking at how COVID lateral flow tests work, a look at poppy chemistry in advance of Remembrance Day, and new research on the classic Coke & Mentos demo.
The chemistry of disposable nappies
Since I'm currently refamiliarising myself with newborn poo explosions, it seemed like a good time to dredge up this graphic on how disposable nappies use chemistry to deal with baby waste. Superabsorbant sodium polyacrylate is my favourite polymer right now, and if you've ever wondered how the colour-changing wetness indicators on some nappies work there's a chemical explanation for that, too.
How COVID lateral flow tests work
It's a year since the UK started piloting the use of lateral flow tests to enable more widespread mass testing for COVID. The latest graphic in the #ChemVsCOVID series with the Royal Society of Chemistry looks at how these tests work, as well as how they compare to PCR testing in terms of accuracy.
World Diabetes Day
November is National Diabetes Month, and World Diabetes Day is coming up on 14 November. The latest figures show that 537 million adults worldwide are living with diabetes – up from the figure of 463 million in 2019 quoted in this graphic. The theme for this year's World Diabetes Day is 'Access to Diabetes care', highlighting that millions of those suffering from diabetes do not have access to the insulin, medicines, or monitoring that they need.
Poppies and painkillers
With Remembrance Day coming up, here's a look at some of the chemistry of one of its symbols: the poppy. This graphic looks at the pigments that give poppies their colour (and a rare yellow pigment not found in other flowers), and the well-known association between poppies and opium, along with other painkillers.
How many bubbles in a Coke & Mentos fountain?
The Coke and Mentos fountain is a classic demo in the chemistry classroom. If you've ever wondered exactly how many bubbles are produced in the process, Tom Kuntzleman has the answer in his latest paper, as well as a neat way of demonstrating the effect of temperature on the process.
I've previously worked with Tom to create a graphic on some of his past research on the Coke and Mentos fountain. I particularly enjoy that his research on this demo shows there's still plenty to learn about even the most commonplace science club reactions!
...and finally
It may shock you to learn that, with a newborn at home, I haven't had much time to read chemistry-related articles over the past fortnight, but here are a couple of interesting ones I have managed to peruse:
Reaction vessel glass catalysed a classic origin of life experiment — arstechnica.com
The Miller-Urey experiment showed organic molecules forming from inorganic precursors. New research shows that the borosilicate glass of the reaction vessels used mimicked the catalytic role of the silicate-rich rocky surfaces of primitive Earth.
Elements may have been forged on Earth, as well as in space — physicsworld.com
New research suggests that fusion reactions producing the 25 lightest elements could take place in Earth's mantle.
As always, if you enjoyed this newsletter, consider forwarding it to a friend or colleague, or sharing it on social media! And feel free to hit the reply button and get back to me with any comments or suggestions.
Thanks for reading,
Andy